Leftover Magnum, Saaz, and Horizon hops

[Architect-Dave]

I have some leftover hops, 0.5 ounces each of Horizon, Saaz, and Magnum. I have a few recipe kits on hand. All-Grain (Chocolate Stout, Coffee Porter, and two Cream Ales with yeast for one of the cream ales) and Extract (Phat Tyre, Sierra Madre Pale Ale, and a Dead Ringer IPA). I am not sure I want to add any of these to any of these recipes, but, maybe use the grains from the extra Cream Ale kit (5-lbs 2-Row and 5-lbs Pilsner) with these hops and maybe some additional to brew up an IPA or something. Any ideas from this great community?

 

[pvtpublic]

How old are they? How are they stored? That will be the biggest factor on what to do. If they're old, they may have lost some character and/or alpha acids. If they're not stored properly, they could develop oxidation or cheesiness. In the case of the latter, maybe lambics or something a little funky.

But, honestly, I'd brew something for the summer! The cream and the pale would be my vote.

 

[Architect-Dave]

The Horizon is in a vacuum sealed pouch in my freezer…about two months old. the other two will be leftover from a Maibock I am making this weekend so they will be pretty fresh going into the freezer. I was thinking of maybe adding one to one of the recipes, another to another, etc. But, not sure if doing something with the extra cream ale kit would be nice…it is a basic grain bill so seems like a nice vanilla box to work with. I am just not all that well versed in hops. i have a few pouches of S-05 and some other basic yeasts on hand, so this could be interesting. just not sure where to go with it.

 

[pvtpublic]

Well, horizon and magnum are bittering hops, relatively clean at that. They do provide a little flavor/aroma, but are best suited for your bittering additions. Saaz is a European variety and would suit you well for Czech and german styles for both bittering and flavor/aroma additions for a spicy/floral/herbal character. So, you could brew the cream with the magnum or horizon for bittering and saaz at the end. But, if you're thinking of adding vanilla to it, I would recommend cascade or htmf instead of saaz.

 

[Architect-Dave]

Thanks. I actually used the term vanilla to denote ‘plain’, not the actual flavor of vanilla.

 

[pvtpublic]

Ahhh gotcha